Stand Out
by AKApolarbear
Summary: Gippal craves Paine's attention. And he'll do just about anything to stand out. Gippaine


**AN: **I'm not big on writing romance, so if this sucks, I'm sorry.

**Disclaimer:** FFX-2 is in no way mine. I don't own it.

* * *

It went without saying. Gippal was one of the biggest ladies' men you would ever meet. With his charming smile and bright green eye, he could get any girl we wanted in the palm of his hand.

Then came the Crimson Squad training exercise. The events that happened there would change his life.

Being denied the right to become a Crusader because he was an Al Bhed, Gippal jumped at the chance to finally get some action in his life. Desert life was just too…calm for his tastes. Sure, Home had his two passions in life: machina and girls. But that was about it. And the Crimson Squad would actually help Spira get rid of Sin. That fact alone was enough to seal the deal. A world without Sin was a world worth fighting for.

So leaving the safety of his own people and the hordes of females that found him irresistible, Gippal left for the Crimson Squad training. That was when he met _her_.

She was unlike any girl Gippal had ever met before. All his life, he had only known blonde-haired Al Bhed girls with sparkling green eyes that would never dream of questioning him. But she was different. Her short silver hair would shine in the sun and her piercing red eyes were stunning. She was easy on the eyes too. One glance and Gippal knew.

He _had _to get to know this girl better.

So running a hand through his sun kissed blond hair and putting on a winning smile that would make the girls back home melt, he sauntered over to her. Casually, he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey there. Name's Gippal." Gippal said in his best 'flirty' tone. She glared at him briefly before shrugging his hand off his shoulder.

"Paine. Nice to meet you." she muttered in…was that disinterest? She started to walk away, as if trying to get away from him, but Gippal stopped her.

"So I was thinking maybe you and I could hang out sometime later. Y'know, to get to know each other a little better." he offered, knowing she would say 'yes' and the two of them would talk and then she would realize what a great guy he was and then they would make out.

"I think I'll pass." she said before continuing on her way, and Gippal was too shocked to stop her. Well, _that_ had never happened before. She had turned him down! No one had turned him down before! Gippal watched as Paine walked away, still trying to process the fact that a girl had rejected him.

_So is that it? She wants nothing to do with me?_, Gippal thought before clearing his head of that thought. No. He _had_ to get to know this girl better. He would. Suddenly, he grinned.

Maybe a challenge would be a good change of pace for him.

* * *

It had to be fate that Gippal was put on the same team as her. And the fact that she was their recorder was even better. That job would mean that she would _have_ to notice him, whether she like it or not. Now it was only a matter of making Paine interested.

This served harder that Gippal had imagined. Despite the fact Paine's job was to focus on them as Crimson Squad candidates, she still acted like she wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, Gippal could've sworn that even when recording, she still paid more attention to Baralai and Nooj than him.

It was disheartening, to say the least and even though it was immature, Gippal couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy directed towards his teammates. Still, Gippal was stubborn. He wasn't one to give up so easily.

During his time as a Crimson Squad candidate, he devoted almost all of his time to acting out in such a way that would get Paine's attention and allow him to become a Crimson Squad member. Nooj found it annoying and Gippal was forever labeled with the title 'brat' in his eyes, but _Nooj _wasn't the one who's attention Gippal wanted.

Paine, however, remained unreadable. Gippal couldn't tell if his techniques were working or if they doing the exact opposite. When the four of them were together as a group, Paine would laugh and show signs that she didn't hate them all, but that was pretty much it. Gippal had no idea how she felt about them individually, or more specifically, him. The only time she ever showed the least bit of interest in him is when he mentioned an airship. Gippal tried to work off of that information, but he had no idea how to.

Then, one night on the boat returning to the mainland he finally got the attention he craved. He approached Paine with intention of another attempt to get her to notice him. Before he could even get a full sentence out, she interrupted him.

"Alright, Gippal, what is your problem?" she snapped at him. At first, he was taken aback. That wasn't the reaction he had expected. However, he managed to play it off with a goofy grin.

"'Problem'? What are you talking about, Dr. P?" he asked, using the pet name he had come up with for her.

"I'm talking about you! You've been like this since the day I first met you! You're always bugging me! Why? Is it for your own amusement?" she shouted at him. Ouch. That _definitely_ wasn't the reaction he had expected.

"Amusement? That wouldn't be the word I would use for it…" Gippal muttered, trying to make her see the big picture.

"Then why? Why are you hell-bent on annoying me?" she asked in anger. He sighed. Clearly she wouldn't understand his methods unless he explained them to her.

"Geez, Paine. I thought you would be able to understand…" he said, rubbing the back of his head. She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him with her piercing red eyes. Damn, she was hot when she was pissed.

"Well, I don't. Please. _Enlighten me_." she said, meaning it as a demand, more than a request. Gippal grinned.

"I was only trying to get your attention." he admitted innocently, his single green eye shining mischievously.

"My _attention_? You couldn't have just asked?" Paine hissed and Gippal laughed. Gently, he took her chin and forced her to look him in face.

"I don't mean that kind of attention." he whispered to her.

"What are you-" Before she could finish, Gippal cut her off by closing the gap between the two. Her lips were soft on his and he could tell that he taken her by surprise. He almost felt her slowly let in to the kiss, but then she pushed him off.

"What do you think you're doing?" Paine shouted, and Gippal could faintly see her face heating up. He smirked. Red looked good on her.

"Don't you get it, Dr. P? I want your attention. All of it. But you keep letting Baralai and Nooj take it away from me. I don't like that. I want mine to be the only face you see, day and night. Call me selfish, but I can't help it. I'm sick, Dr. P. Love sick. And you're the only one with the cure." Gippal said, putting on the best pitiful look he could muster. She stared at him in shock.

"Gippal…" she muttered, but said nothing else. He used her silence as a cue to move in, wrapping his arms around her slim figure. He gave her his trademark flirtatious grin.

"Cure me, Dr. P?" he offered. For a moment, she stared at him in silence, and Gippal almost thought that after all of that, Paine still remained unattainable. But then, she embraced him back and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"With your methods, how could anyone _not_ notice you?" she whispered in his ear.

* * *

"Well if it isn't Cid's girl! How you been?" Gippal asked with a grin. The younger Al Bhed girl smiled back.

"Hey, I have a name!" Rikku shouted in mock irritation. Gippal chuckled lightly.

"Brother doin' okay?" he asked casually.

"Same as ever. Buddy's around too." she replied. Gippal nodded slightly. It seemed as if the younger girl hadn't changed at all over the years.

"Same as ever is right…" he muttered as he turned around…and then he saw _her_. Same short silver hair, same red eyes, same drop dead sexy body…she hadn't changed either. He almost ran up to her and held her in his arms just like old times, but he had to be sure that it was really her.

"You!" Gippal shouted, waiting for a sign of recognition. Instead…

"Paine. Nice to meet you." she said flatly. She…didn't remember him? It was her; he knew it was. There was no way he could forget the girl that he had obsessed over for months. Even after the four of them had gotten split up, he hadn't stopped worrying if she was still alive. Had she gotten away from Nooj or had he gotten her too? And now after he had finally found her…she had no idea who he was?

"Uh-huh?" he asked in confusion. Even though his face didn't show it, he was hurt deeply.

"We're here for the interview." she reminded him sternly.

"Right…the interview…" he muttered. Quickly, he pushed the thoughts of her to the back of his mind and tried to act professional for their interview. Well…as professional as Gippal could manage. Then he gave them a Letter of Introduction for them to show to Nhadala and sent the three of them on their way.

After that, he allowed his mind to wander to thoughts of Paine again. He spent the next half hour pacing around his quarters in Djose Temple trying to figure out why she had no idea who he was.

_Maybe she took a hit to the head or something? I would know how that feels… Maybe she just doesn't want to remember me? But why? I thought she __liked__ me! The Paine I know would just play around with some guys' feelings…so why?_

The whole thing was driving him crazy! Finally, he stopped his pacing and flopped down onto his bed. Laying down and closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself down. The reason why she didn't remember him wasn't important. The point was that she didn't. And Gippal didn't like that. Suddenly, he let a familiar grin spread across his face.

If Paine didn't remember him, then he would just have to remind her how far he was willing to go to be the center of her attention.

* * *

**AN: **Gippaine is my barbecue sauce. And I _loves_ me some barbecue sauce.


End file.
